Said hopes to finally master Mexico City road course
By SceneDaily Staff
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Marc Serota / Getty Images
Boris Said has some unique prerace rituals, and he’ll perform another this week as he prepares for Sunday's Corona Mexico 200 Nationwide Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
"As soon as I get to Mexico City I look for the street vendor taco stands and order a couple of carne asadas," Said said. "It is absolutely delicious – I recommend it to all Mexican food lovers."
That goes against recommendations of the U.S. State Department, but it doesn’t stop Said from risking an upset stomach.
And a stop at a taco stand fits in with some of Said’s other prerace rituals, like a visit to San Quentin Penitentiary or taking a ride in a single-person elevator to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge before the Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
"I've enjoyed traveling the world to race cars, but I also have fun taking in the local sights and experiencing the local culture," Said said.
Said is driving the No. 25 Team Rensi Motorsports Ford this weekend, though No Fear Racing crew chief Frank Stoddard will be atop the pit box in Mexico.
Said has three top-five finishes in the three Mexico races, a fifth in 2005, a second in ’06 and a third last year.
"This could be the year of the win," Said said. "I have a great crew and great equipment. My only concern is that I haven't been racing for a while."
Said’s last race was the Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona in February.
"I'm chomping at the bit to go racing again," Said said. "I'm always pumped about my next race, but I am even more inspired for Mexico after watching the Rocky Balboa effort by Masters champion Trevor Immelman. To me, winning a NASCAR race is like winning the Masters."
